- The Persian army had no doubt that the Greeks would be easy to conquer. The Greeks were outnumbered - what chance would they have? The Persians laughed at the thought of the battle ahead.
- What the Persians did not know was that the Greeks were incredible warriors.
- Athens had a highly capable navy, with ships that were tiny and easy to maneuver. The Spartan army was terrifying.
- The Persians came three times, and fought three huge battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis.
- Each time the Persians were convinced they could easily conquer the Greeks and each time, the Greeks drove them away.
- The Persians had to abandon their burning ships.
- Those Persian sailors who made it to land were greeted by the Spartan army and the Spartans killed them all.
- While Athens burned the Persian ships, Sparta left some men on the beach to handle any Persians who made it to shore.
- The rest of the Sparta army marched north and defeated the Persian army coming in from that direction.
- The few Persians who survived fled. But there was always the threat that the Persians might come back.
- In preparation, the Greeks created the Delian League which is a treasury that would allow them to quickly prepare for war, should the need arise.